With Wear OS by Google, a watch can communicate with a network directly, without access to an Android or iOS phone. Don't use the Data Layer API to connect a Wear OS app to a network. Instead, follow the guidelines and steps in this guide.
Network access
Wear OS apps can make network requests. When a watch has a Bluetooth connection to a phone, the watch's network traffic is generally proxied through the phone.
When a phone is unavailable, Wi-Fi and cellular networks are used, depending on the watch hardware. The Wear OS platform handles transitions between networks.
You can use protocols such as HTTP, TCP, and UDP. However, the
android.webkit APIs, including the CookieManager class, are not
available. You can use cookies by reading and writing headers on requests and
responses.
Use WorkManager for asynchronous requests, including polling at regular
intervals.
If you need to connect to specific network types, see Reading network state.
High-bandwidth network access
The Wear OS platform manages network connectivity with the goal of providing the best overall user experience. The platform chooses the default active network by balancing two needs: long battery life and network bandwidth.
When battery preservation is prioritized, the active network might not have enough bandwidth for network tasks like transporting large files or streaming media.
This section provides guidance on using the ConnectivityManager class to
help ensure that your app has the network bandwidth it needs. For general
information about fine-grained control over network resources, see manage
network usage.
Request Wi-Fi connectivity
For use cases that require high-bandwidth network access, such as transporting large files or streaming media, request connectivity with a high-bandwidth transport, such as Wi-Fi. This is shown in the following example: